Food Treatment Chamber Wall Reflection for Uniform Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food processing systems experience uneven treatment of food products due to direct exposure to treatment mediums, leading to inconsistent drying or smoking results within a batch.
Innovation Solution
The arrangement of openings in distribution elements directs the treatment medium to strike adjacent side walls before reaching the food, creating a diffuse transverse flow and using alternating distribution lines with switching devices to ensure even distribution, along with varying tube lengths to maintain pressure consistency across the treatment chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the treatment medium is blown directly into the treatment chamber through openings in distribution elements, then the treatment medium can be supplied efficiently, but the food products adjacent to the openings are exposed to much greater extent than those at a distance, leading to uneven treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The side wall acts as an intermediary surface that the treatment medium strikes first before reaching the food products. The openings in the distribution elements are arranged to direct the treatment medium against the side wall, which then redistributes the medium diffusely across the treatment chamber, ensuring uniform exposure of all food products regardless of their position.
2Speed
If openings are arranged to blow treatment medium directly onto food, then treatment medium reaches food quickly, but food adjacent to openings dries much more quickly than food further away, causing uneven treatment within a batch
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of directing the treatment medium in a straight line from the openings to the food products, the system uses the side wall as an intermediate surface to redirect the medium in a different dimension. The treatment medium strikes the side wall and then spreads diffusely across the treatment chamber, transforming the direct linear flow into a multi-directional diffuse flow that ensures uniform treatment.
3Ease of operation
If distribution elements are used to blow treatment medium into the treatment chamber, then the treatment medium can be distributed, but the pressure gradient causes uneven distribution in the vertical direction
Solution Approach 1:
The distribution elements are designed with different lengths to provide locally adapted pressure compensation. Shorter distribution elements are positioned in areas where higher pressure would occur, while longer elements are positioned where lower pressure would occur, ensuring that all elements deliver treatment medium at approximately the same pressure to achieve vertical uniformity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in a more homogeneous treatment process and improved quality of processed products by ensuring uniform exposure to the treatment medium across the entire treatment chamber.
Implementation Method 1
the treatment medium emerges from the rear of the distribution elements and initially strikes the adjacent wall. The medium is 'reflected' on the side walls and only after this reflection comes into contact with the food in the treatment chamber. Suction creates a diffuse transverse flow on the opposite side wall
Implementation Method 2
A switching device is preferably provided, which is designed to charge the two collecting or distribution lines alternately with the treatment medium. As a result, an even more homogeneous distribution of the treatment medium in the treatment chamber can be achieved.
Implementation Method 3
the distribution elements can preferably be provided in different lengths, so that the treatment medium is blown out with approximately the same pressure both at the top of the treatment chamber and at the bottom and, if possible, at different levels there is no pressure gradient in the vertical direction
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
A food treatment plant for ripening, smoking, or drying foodstuffs comprises a treatment chamber (1). This chamber includes a treatment area (1a) designed to accommodate food transport devices (6). The treatment area (1a) is bounded by a ceiling (1d), a floor (1e), and at least two opposing side walls (1b, 1c) extending longitudinally (X). A collection or distribution line (2, 3), extending substantially along the length of the side wall, is located in front of each side wall (1b, 1c), particularly in the area of the ceiling (1d), for the purpose of removing or supplying a treatment medium from or into the treatment chamber (1).From the respective collecting or distribution line (2, 3), tubular distribution elements (21, 31; 34) extend in the direction (Z) of the base (1e), with openings (32, 33; 35, 36) distributed along their entire or a part of their longitudinal direction (Z), through which the treatment medium can be blown or drawn into the treatment chamber in an injection direction. The openings (32, 33; 35, 36) are arranged such that the treatment medium flowing from the collecting or distribution line (2, 3) into the distribution elements (21, 31; 34) is blown out with at least one component towards a side wall (1b, 1c) adjacent to each of the distribution elements (21, 31; 34).